How To Choose The Best Wakeboard For A Cable Park?

When selecting equipment for cable parkriding, there are significant wakeboard gear variations to remember whether you are a beginner wakeboarder or an experienced wakeboarder who can be pulled behind a boat.

In terms of wakeboard size, base construction, weight, flex, rail design, fins and bottom features, and rocker, a good cable park wakeboard would usually differ from a boating wakeboard.

Wakeboard Base For Cable Park Use

Usually, riding in the cable park requires rail riding over plastic or metal park features. Therefore, cable wakeboards are built to have a much better, more robust base compared to boat wakeboards; if used to slide on park modules, the latter would not last very long.

Many dedicated cable park wakeboards have a sintered or “grind” base, a special form of the production method that makes the board on most surfaces much more resistant and slidable. As a result, excellent cable park boards tolerate even stronger impact from rails, kickers, and boxes.

Cable park-specific wakeboards vary in wakeboard size and are often flat on the bottom between the tip and tail in an effort to enhance jumps and air trick landings.

Cable Park Wakeboard Size Recommendations

Another particular feature of cable park wakeboards is that they will normally be larger for a specified rider height. Depending on the wakeboarder’s size and height, the most common lengths for cable park wakeboards are 141cm, 145cm, and 149cm for cable park riding.

In the 148cm to 155cm range, bigger boards, for example, can soften the effect of landings while jumping off kickers. However, a bigger board will do other tricks, such as spinning off a rail, harder.

Also, a wide board with a flatter bottom would make it drag less in the water, which is desirable when a cable versus a boat is pulled.

Cable Park Wakeboard Flex

Compared with boat boards, cable park wakeboards often have slightly more flex. Park tricks such as butter slides, taps, and presses are encouraged by medium to soft flex patterns. A cable board’s softer flex enables you to conduct nose and tail presses while on a rail.

Frame size and flex are somewhat related because there would usually be more flex on a larger cable park board (e.g. 147cm).

Cable Park Wakeboard Rails & Fins

Usually, good cable park wakeboards have chined rails angling upwards for additional clearance when riding over a rough feature.

Cable boards typically have no bottom features, unlike boat wakeboards, to allow butter slides on flat water and slides without catching or hanging up on any features.

In comparison, boat boards normally have fins and channels to keep the board riding straight, but those are not ideal for sliding because they can hang up on rails and ramps.

As many parks prohibit the use of fins that can ruin the kickers and slides of the park, cable park wakeboards generally have removable fins (unlike boat boards). When riding rails and kickers, riders are forced to take out the fins.

Some wakeboards have subtle moulded fins that are suitable for riding in the park.

Cable Park Wakeboard 3 Stage Rocker

The 3 stage rocker of a wakeboard refers to its curvature lengthwise — the rocker impacts, mostly speed, pop, and landings, the way the board rides.

You get a lot of pop from a 3-stage rocker, and it helps you shoot straight up from a boat wake. On the flip side, riding on the water makes the board a bit slower, and the landings are a bit rough with most of the impact being absorbed by your legs.

A continuous rocker allows you to ride faster and smoother but gives you less pop than 3-stage for getting air. Through absorbing the shock, continuous rockers make landings softer, making them a valid cable park riding option.

A mix between the above two is a 5-stage or hybrid rocker. It’s similar to, but with an extra pop, a continuous rocker. The largest part of the board (e.g. about 3/4) is more rigid, while the tip section is more flexible on both ends of the board, resulting in softer landings. Hybrid rockers for cable park wakeboarding are also well-suited.

Conclusion

Whichever wakeboard you decide to choose, we are sure that by following the steps in choosing the best wakeboard above then you will have a great wakeboarding experience at a wake park whether you’re being pulled by a cable or pulled behind a boat.